 Evolving Assessment & ePortfolio at LaGuardia Community College J. Elizabeth Clark LaGuardia Community College--CUNY

Assessment at LaGuardia  Seven Core Competencies: General Education  Critical Literacy (Reading, Writing, Critical Thinking)  Quantitative Reasoning  Oral Communication  Information and Research Literacy  Technological Literacy  Programmatic Competencies  Defined by programs and majors  As appropriate, defined by outside accrediting bodies

The Assessment Process  As part of the 5-year Periodic Program Review, a sampling of student work in the ePortfolio Assessment Database is reviewed  Student work from the ePortfolios is assessed utilizing the faculty-developed rubrics for each core competency  Other artifacts /measures may be assessed as determined by a program  Benchmark Assessment readings provide information about student work in core competencies across programs (not just within programs)  Student work is read and evaluated in the assessment process anonymously. Student work on the ePortfolio is read and evaluated by the professor teaching the class.

What is deposited?  Assessment grids developed by each program identify the artifacts deposited in courses  Sample assignments are shared with faculty in each program

Departments/Programs explain their programmatic competencies to students and to accrediting bodies.

Using the ePortfolio  Site for collecting student work  Makes work accessible to faculty for classroom assessment purposes  Makes work accessible anonymously to programs for Program Assessment and for the Benchmark Assessment Readings  Connects the assessment process and the classroom  Provides flexible data: by course, by program, by competency—can be aggregated in a variety of configurations  Involves students in the process of  reflection  self-assessment

ePortfolio Assessment Database

Faculty read artifacts on- line and score on the rubric.

Critical Literacy Benchmark Assessment Data  Our largest sample, scored in January & June 1072 Total Scored Samples <25 credits: 727 samples >45 credits: 345 samples Critical Literacy Average < 25 credits: 5.64 Critical Literacy Average >45 credits: 6.52 Gain: +.88

The Feedback Loop

Partnering with the Center for Teaching and Learning  Mini-grant program allows programs to follow up on recommendations in the PPR  Core competencies and development of assignments have been threads in CTL seminars  The capstone seminar helps faculty to build Capstone ePortfolio assignments appropriate for the discipline that also showcase integrative learning, learning over time, and key learning in core competency areas  Faculty discuss and create ePortfolio specific assignments

Assessment & the Learning Portfolio  ePortfolios can be used for assessment (supportsdeposits in the ePortfolio Assessment Database)  ePortfolios are also used for student learning,growth, and development  These are 2 different facets of the ePortfolio

Program Specific ePortfolio Templates Emerged from PPR Process and External Input (Education, Nursing, Business, Fine Arts, PT)

Nursing HR Directors were interested in students’ philosophy statements, community service, and a reorganization of coursework that showed student skills in specific areas.

Sequencing Assignments and the Curriculum  Physical Therapy has sequenced assignments for skills (specifically around research & writing) across their courses culminating in the capstone course  PT was also the first program to use ePortfolios as part of their external accreditation

General Education and Programmatic Competencies

Quantitative Reasoning

Organization of Academic Work by Student Priority

 And now? We continue to evolve, making incremental growth based on evidence, experience, and new findings in the field about ePortfolios and student learning.

Contact  J. Elizabeth Clark, Ph.D., Professor of English 